Terra Nova
by Trvlr905
Summary: This is my first fanfic and I generally suck at writing summaries. Survivors of another harvest meet Hibiki, Dita, Duero, and the rest of the gang. I finally finished the next chapter. Hope it meets muster. R&R, and, please, be nice.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Republic didn't have an easy start.

In an era long preceding the great Diaspora, a colony ship was constructed and launched amidst great pomp and circumstance. The thousands of colonists elected to leave their homes and loved ones rather than watch their beautiful planet slowly die after several centuries of pollution and its environmental ravages that "progress" had brought with it. Many were displaced from their homes after a short, but nasty war had nearly destroyed their country. In what was considered a grand (and expensive) experiment, the colony ship left its home system hoping to eventually settle its cargo on newly discovered planet in a nearby star system. Either through programming error or sabotage, the ship never did make it to its intended destination. The colonists and crew slept through the journey in cold sleep blissfully unaware of their plight.

Eventually, the colony ship's computer awoke from its electronic hibernation to discover it was dangerously off course. Luckily for the colonists, the ship's designers had seen it fit to install a fusion drive with enough fuel that could propel and power the ship for centuries. It spent the next several hundred years searching for a suitable new home for its precious cargo. After a long search of missteps and wrong turns, the ship eventually settled into orbit above a planet fitting most of the parameters to sustain life.

After the initial shock of discovering just how far they were from home and the euphoria of finding a new home after the long journey spent in cold sleep, the colonists had to acclimate themselves to the idea of living on a planet not their own. They grieved knowing the ones they loved and had left behind on their dying planet had been dead for hundreds of years. Try as they might, the colonists were unable to establish contact with their home world, and the fact their current technology permit a message from reaching it for centuries didn't help. Despite the initial setbacks, they had to persevere; they did not have much of choice in any case.

They spent months studying their new home from orbit before sending survey teams planet side, as well as the outlying system. Ecosystems needed studying. There were native species that needed to be catalogued, categorized, and, in some cases, exterminated. Fortunately, nothing remotely resembling sentience was found on the planet. In the meantime, construction began on orbital habitats where the colonists would reside once they were revived from cold sleep.

The colonists spent countless months, then years, carving civilization out of the wilderness. Eventually, small settlements gave way to cities. Industries sprouted and blossomed to feed, clothe, and house the population as more colonists were revived from cold sleep and sent from the initial orbital habitats. The colonization ship was dismantled for building materials for the settlements planet side and mining facilities were established in the outer perimeters of the system to feed raw materials to the growing cities and orbital habitats planet side. Through determination, a pinch of dumb luck, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, a civilization eventually flourished on the frontier. Not an easy task considering the local conditions.

Their new planet may have resembled their home world in many respects, but there was one glaring difference. There was the matter of the planet's gravity which was about two and half times what they considered to "standard" gravity. Certain changes had to be made before the colony could truly flourish. The livestock in cold sleep, as well as the some of plants in the colony ship's hydroponics bays, had to be genetically manipulated to better cope with the heavier gravity. There was no genetic manipulation done on the colonists, but they did have to make some adjustments. They spent months in specially modified grav chambers on the orbital habitats. The colonists whose bodies were unable cope with increased gravity stayed on the orbital habitats or established settlements on the planet's two moons.

Within several generations, the colony grew and spread throughout the surrounding solar system. New customs and traditions supplanted some of the older ones brought to the new world by the original colonists. After much debate (and some open hostilities), most of the inhabitants of the planet and the outlying system formed a government modeled after one the most powerful nations from their home world. Eventually, the inhabitants no longer considered themselves colonists, rather called themselves citizens of their Republic.

For a couple of hundred of years, the Republic existed in prosperity and relative peace. The population continued to grow. Scientific, technological, and cultural advancement became a way of life. Long term deep space expeditions, eventually primitive faster than light probes, were sent to explore the systems in the space surrounding the Republic's home system. The world their forebears left all those years before eventually became a faint memory...until one day.


	2. Visitors From Home

Chapter II. Visitors From Home

Mining stations and colonies on the frontier mysteriously began dropping offline. Stations and ships towards the system's core began receiving sporadic distress calls. The Republic, unsure of what was happening on the frontier, dispatched a small naval task force to investigate. The brief, garbled report received by Fleet Headquarters from the task force commander was disturbing to say the least.

"..._They're unstoppable! We're throwing everything at them and they keep coming. Sweet Sally Jehozevah! They just took out the POTEMPKIN...Holy shit! That thing's a freakin' monster...harvest..."_

They showed no mercy. They systematically destroyed every settlement and ship in their path. Massive mining colonies simply ceased to exist. Nothing was spared the onslaught. Even the Republic's Fleet proved to be nothing more than speed bump in the path of the monsters' march toward the system's core planets. Even more disturbing was there were almost no survivors to give the Fleet intelligence and science staff critical information on ways to fight the enemy.

The entire system would have fallen if it weren't for the desperate actions and dumb luck of one lieutenant and his crew. Fleet carrier _RSS INVINCIBLE's_ task force engaged the enemy's fleet near the system's fifth planet, Flagler. The enemy forces pummeled the warships without remorse. Fighters and frigates alike were swept from the stars. Even the larger destroyers and heavy cruisers quickly succumbed to merciless enemy fire. Eventually there was nothing left except the _INVINCIBLE's_ hulk drifting lifelessly among the other detritus of the task force. The enemy seemingly unconcerned with the pitiful few survivors on the carrier continued its march towards the system's core. Knowing his crew would not survive long with the ship's failing life support, the ranking bridge officer ordered the remaining engineering crew to reroute all remaining power to the ship's engines. He was determined to ram the monster son of bitch as it passed the carrier and take a chunk of it with him.

As the old saying goes, the best laid plans never survive contact with the enemy. The enemy's flagship noticed the sudden surge in acceleration from the carrier. Although the carrier was deemed an insignificant threat to the flagship, enemy ships were dispatched to destroy what was left of the warship before it could collide with the flagship. The ship was ultimately destroyed, but not before a stray energy blast caused the carrier's fusion drive to overload. The resulting explosion was accompanied by a massive electromagnetic pulse that fried every circuit with one hundred kilometers, bringing the monster to a stop.

Unaware of the _INVINCIBLE's_ sacrifice, the citizens of the Republic waited in terror for an attack that never came. For some unknown reason, the enemy's march stopped. Every ship in the enemy's armada went dead at the same instant.

A series of high speed sensor probes scanned the monster's hulk revealing no signs of activity. The Republic dispatched a survey ship to investigate the enemy's origins and the purpose behind all the mindless destruction.

For months, the Republic's scientists and intelligence specialists studied the hulk of the enemy's flagship trying to glean as much information from the wreckage as they could. The reports they sent back to the capital read like bad science fiction that evolved into a bona fide horror story.

Upon landing entering the hulk, the scientists discovered the ships of the enemy fleet were completely automated. There was no sign of living quarters, work spaces, not even a water cooler. The entire fleet was nothing more than massive, automated killing machine working on someone's behalf, but whose?

Computer hackers and engineers spent months pouring through data cubes and computer cores that may have survived the massive electro-magnetic pulse from the _INVINCIBLE's_ death. Whatever they found must have been big, because the report was sent back to the capital via high security courier. The Republic's president felt the need to get drunk immediately after reading the scientist's findings. The next day, he addressed the citizens of the Republic.

"_My fellow citizens, we all suffered a terrible loss six months ago. Twelve million of our friends, families, and loved ones were lost to that seemingly unstoppable invasion. They gave no warning, showed no remorse, and were bent on destroying us all. For the past six months, we all asked one question. WHY? For the past six months, our best scientists have been trying to answer that question, and they have finally come up with one that is far more horrible than anyone, even the conspiracy theorists, could have imagined. From what we have been able to piece together from the enemy's data cores, they are called "Harvesters." It would seem their creators have designs on you, me, and everyone else in this system. The Harvesters have come for something we all take for granted; they have come to harvest our bodies for our musculature. Even more disturbing is the origins of these Harvesters. They were sent from Earth..." _

The Harvesters came from a world that only existed in stories and history books. Terror and panic swept the Republic. The Republic almost fell with the news of Earth's Harvests. Gradually, order was restored throughout the Republic due in no small part to the overwhelming sense of horror that permeated the system turning to rage. As one voice, the citizens of Republic of Terra Nova swore vengeance for the losses wreaked by the Harvesters. Overnight, Terra Nova's armed forces saw a surge in applicants for the Fleet and Ground Forces. The citizens of the Republic wanted war...even if they were sorely outgunned and outnumbered.

New ships had to be built and weapons had to be developed, almost overnight. The enemy fleet was dismantled for raw materials and technologies. Learning from brutal lessons taught during the invasion, the Republic's engineers and scientists adapted once peaceful technologies were for the coming war. Shipyards throughout the system began producing warships of all sizes at unprecedented numbers. Massive defense stations began popping up throughout the system. Weapons of unimaginable destructive were secretly tested in the vast wastelands on the Bracken moon. Millions of recruits flowed out of the numerous training depots throughout the Terran system. For five years, the Republic's factories labored to meet the needs of a system terrified of a follow up invasion.

There was on glimmer of hope. Among the data culled from the Harvester flagship's memory core was the knowledge other humans existed throughout the galaxy. They, too, were being viciously harvested for spare parts for Earth. Some were even fighting back to varying degrees of success. The Republic's leadership vowed to seek out the other human colonies. They would need allies for the coming battles for they intended to return to their home world and...destroy it.


	3. Welcome to the Neighborhood

Chapter III. Welcome To The Neighborhood.

_12 September CY450_

_Man, I'm really starting get tired of this. We've been pushing the drive units hard for the past two weeks and all we've found so far is a bunch of rocks and the occasional cloud of dust. Sure, the ship is performing as expected, but the crew is beginning to get a little antsy...can't say that I blame them. Sometimes, I think the folks back at Fleet have their collective heads up their collective arses. This ship and many of its systems are untested in combat. Colonel Rathbun is beginning to become a major thorn in my ass. The SOB actually thinks we can go waltzing back to Earth and put an end to this madness by all by our lonesome. If he had seen some of the things I've seen..._

"Captain Fujimura, your presence is requested on the bridge."

"Fujimura here. I'll be up there in a few minutes." The stocky Asian male sighed as he closed his personal journal. After a few minutes, the commanding officer padded across his sparse quarters to his locker to slip a set of coveralls on before heading to the bridge. It wouldn't do to have the commanding officer of the _RSS VIGILANT_ showing up on the bridge in his skivvies.

A few minutes later, he was stepping off the lift to the bridge. He took a minute to survey the bustle as the officers and crew of the mid-watch scrambled to and fro. He made his way to the command station where a blonde haired man was busily reviewing tactical displays.

"What's the story, Commander Oswald?" asked Captain Fujimura.

"Good morning, Sir, sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but CIC has detected what appears to be several small ships on the periphery of the magnetic storm we've been studying for the past couple of days. Why someone would want to venture into that mess is beyond me. In any case, one of the ships seems to have sustained some damage and the other two ships appear to be rendering assistance," opined the officer of the watch (OOW) as he unfolded his lanky frame from the command station.

"Any indications that they've spotted us?" asked Fujimura as he studied the sensor readings.

"We've detected intermittent sensor sweeps in our general direction, but nothing to indicate they've spotted us," responded the OOW.

Fujimura continued to study the displays at the command station, "I guess this warrants a closer look. Have Commander Shultz prep a couple of his flyboys for a looky-loo. In the meantime, bring us in a little closer in case things go sideways."

"Aye, aye, Sir. Flight, rouse a couple of your boys and have them conduct a quick fly by of those ships."

"Roger, Command. We'll have a couple Rhinos launching in about twenty minutes. Would you like a couple of 8x10s for posterity?"

"Negative, smart ass. Just get those crates airborne," chuckled LCDR Oswald.

Fifteen minutes later, two squat fighters, appropriately code named "Rhino," launched from ship's hangar bay.

"Rattlers Four and Seven, you guys know the drill. Just a quick look-see and report what you see. For Pete's sake, try not to get your asses shot off. Those fighters are expensive."

"Roger that, Flight. And, sir...we're glad to hear you're concerned about our safety, too," groused the element leader, "Hey, Tiny, are you still with me back there?"

"Off your portside and trailing about 100 meters, Rattler Lead," came the cheerful reply from Rattler Seven.

"Well, then, let's go have a look."

Both fighters oriented themselves with their reaction jets before they accelerated towards the group of unknown ships. Meanwhile, the appearance of two fighters did not go unnoticed on the three ships at the edge of the magnetic storm.

"Sir, we have two Dreads approaching from astern!" screamed the sensor operator aboard the Tarakan cruiser _RONIN_, "But they don't match any configuration that I've ever seen, and there's nothing in our database that matches them. Sir, we're being actively scanned by the lead Dread."

RONIN's captain frowned as he glanced over the sensor operator's shoulder at the displays. "They're kind of far from anything not to be supported. Have you detected a mothership or carrier, LT Nagumo?"

"Negative, sir."

Captain Bunya continued to frown as he considered his next move. After a few seconds of thought, he turned to the communications officer. "Hail the two Dreads and warn those women that we'll atomize them if they come any closer."

"_Unidentified Dreads, this is Warship RONIN of the Tarakan Liberation Front. Do not come any closer or we will open fire."_

"_Rattler Lead, guess we weren't as stealthy as we should have been. I got no idea what these "Dreads" he's talking about are, but I guess we should back off. I'm being lit up by some sort of fire control radar."_

Rattler Lead silently cursed. _"Crap. Engage active ECM and stand off. Break, break. Command, we've been detected and they're threatening open up on us. What are your instructions, over?"_

"_Do nothing. We should be on scene in five mikes."_ LCDR Oswald turned to his commander. "Well, Sir, what do you want to do? It doesn't appear that they've detected us yet. Do you want me to go to battle stations? "

Captain Fujimura continued to frown as he sat in the command chair and studied the tactical displays. "No, bring up ECM. Have Rattler Lead hail the lead ship. We'll continue on course and maintain a low profile."

"_Warship RONIN, this is Rattler Lead of the Republic Space Forces, our scans indicate your ship has sustained damage. Do you require any assistance?"_

"It's a man, but what self-respecting man would pilot a...Dread?" mused the _RONIN_'s captain to no one in particular, "Those Dreads couldn't have come all the way out here without a carrier of some type. Let's see how this shakes out. Comms officer, open a channel to those Dreads... _Rattler Flight, this is Captain Arato Bunya of the Tarakan Warship RONIN, we have sustained minor damage during our passage through the magnetic storms, but we have everything under control. Thank you for you concern..._That should keep them off guard," Captain Bunya said as he turned to his sensor chief, "Have you detected any other ships in the area?"

"Negative, sir, although sensors have picked up some sort of anomaly fifteen kilometers astern of those two Dreads and closing. I would venture to guess their carrier has some sort of stealth abilities. We would have picked up something that large a lot sooner. We've also completed preliminary scans of the Dreads. Some of their systems are bit more primitive than our own, but they pack a respectable amount of firepower. If I were a wagering man, I'd say they'd be a match for our Bangatas."

"Keep those silly thoughts to your self, Chief Jordan. This is becoming more and more interesting. Have the Bangatas brought to readiness. I'll show those she-men and their women puppet masters what a real man of Tarak can do if it comes to that," Captain Bunya grunted as he turned to study the two mysterious Dreads on the screen.

Meanwhile, aboard the _VIGILANT_...

A slightly built man stepped off the bridge lift and quickly walked over to the command station where the Old Man was busily studying the tactical and sensor displays.

"Sorry, I took so long; I was reviewing the training schedule for the next two weeks. What's up, Boss?" asked the _VIGILANT's_ executive officer, Commander Stephen Renfro, "Huh, looks like we have ourselves a First Contact scenario."

"You know, I think you've been watching too many of those old science fiction vids. No, I think they're human, but something about them doesn't sit well with me," Fujimura replied with a grin, "We're coming in for a little look see. In the meantime, have Colonel Rathbun get a platoon suited up. Also, have Commander Shultz make space on the hangar deck, we may have visitors shortly. We should be in place soon."

"That's why they pay you the big bucks," answered CDR Renfro as he sauntered off to refill his ever-present coffee cup.

"That man and his coffee," Captain Fujimura thought with a chuckle before turning his attention back to the tactical displays. "EWO, de-energize active ECM and begin broadcast of our IFF codes. LCDR Oswald, energize all navigation and work lights and open a wide spectrum broadcast to the lead ship. Let's say hello to our new "friends.""


	4. And Things Go Sideways

Chapter IV. And Things Go Sideways.

On the Tarakan warship _RONIN_, the _VIGILANT's_ appearance came as a surprise. Sure they knew there was something out there, but they weren't quite ready for what that "something" was.

Chief Jordan gasped as the ship's sensors revealed a jet black behemoth that seemingly materialized behind the Rhinos. "Captain, we've confirmed that anomaly we've been tracking a few minutes ago is some sort of carrier, and it's just began broadcasting some sort of identification code. The computers are working to decipher the code, but the so far have come up with nothing. I've detected some low power scans, but nothing to indicate any sort of fire control....Geez, that thing's huge. It must be over 1000 meters in length."

A _VIGOROUS_-class heavy cruiser is exactly 1800 meters in length and has a beam of 200 meters. Taking hard-earned lessons learned from the Harvester invasion, the Republic's best naval engineers and designers took everything they knew about ship design and tossed it out of the window. Whereas previous ships of the line emphasized speed and maneuverability, the _VIGILANT_, and her sisters, were relatively slow, thick skinned, and armed to the teeth.

"Very well, Chief Jordan, keep scanning and see what you can learn about that thing," said Captain Bunya.

As the _VIGILANT_ drew closer, Captain Bunya and the rest of his bridge crew were able to see more of the massive cruiser. The ship's black hull was hard to make out against the darkness of space. The only visible details were illuminated by the ship's running lights and a variety of work lights. The ship had a lay out faintly reminiscent of an ancient warship. Large weapons turrets were visible forward of the ship's superstructure. A number of minor turrets could be seen along the ship's sides. Some sort of landing grid was visible at the rear of the ship just above the ship's drive unit.

"Sir, although they aren't actively broadcasting ECM, sensors aren't picking up very much from the ship. I'd say their systems are heavily shielded. Like those two Dreads out there, the level of technology is a little antiquated, and from visual observation, it looks that ship's weaponry is exclusively projectile-based. Even if they seem somewhat primitive, their weapons systems are still pretty formidable and we should be cautious. Sensors have also determined there are about 600 life signs on the ship; human from the look of it."

Captain Bunya silently brooded as he considered his next course of action. "Have we received any communications from this ship?"

"No, sir."

Back on the _VIGILANT_, Captain Fujimura was also trying to determine his next course of action. After studying the three ships drifting in the distance, he turned to the petite communications officer observing the Tarakan ships from the comms suite. "Petty Officer Johnson, see if those guys would like to come over for a talk. Who knows, we might learn something about these guys."

"_Tarankan warship RONIN, this is the cruiser VIGILANT of the Republic of Space Forces. This ship is on a survey and exploration mission. The Commanding Officer wishes to extend an invitation to come aboard our ship for an exchange of greetings and information. If that is inconvenient, we can to make other arrangements." _

Upon hearing a woman's voice, muffled curses and screams could be heard around the _RONIN's_ bridge. Men around Captain Bunya quickly cupped their ears fearful they would go deaf and stupid by merely hearing a woman's voice. The captain had long since learned to ignore the old fairy tales told back on Tarak, but it didn't stop him from scowling at the very thought of a woman addressing his ship. The decent thing those barbarians could have done was at least have a man open communications with his ship.

"It would seem this "Republic" is as weak as that warship out there. The idea that men and women can serve together on a ship of the line is absolutely absurd. Women are weak and are nothing more than a drain on the fighting strength of the men. It's obvious that those "men" and I do use the term "men" loosely over there shouldn't pose much of a threat."

Captain Bunya spent a few minutes studying the _VIGILANT_ before speaking to no one in particular, "Even if it is relatively primitive, it may serve us well in our fight against the women of Mejale and those sniveling traitors back on Tarak..._ENS Kursk, assemble your company and prepare for a boarding action. We're going to take that ship._"

"_Aye, aye, sir!_ Chief Amaya, I'm going to meet with the Captain and the First Officer to see how they want this operation to go down. Make sure the men are ready to go."

ENS Kursk's burly chief snapped a quick salute to his company officer and began rousing the troops.

"Alright, you heard the boss! Get it in gear and be ready on the hangar deck in twenty minutes. We've got mayhem to create and asses to kick! Whoever's not ready on time is getting boot leather enema. Do I make myself clear!?!"

Around the troop quarters, the men formerly of the Tarak's elite Special Forces group sprang into action. Still stinging from an embarrassing defeat at the hands of those women pirates from Mejer, ENS Sergi Kursk and his men were eager to take their frustrations out on whatever target was unfortunate enough to present itself. It looks like this might be a bad day for the _VIGILANT_.

Aboard the _VIGILANT_...

"_VIGILANT, this is Captain Arato Bunya of the Tarakan Liberation Front. We welcome the opportunity to make new friends. We will be dispatching a shuttle within the hour. We would appreciate landing instructions and we will be seeing you soon. Bunya, out."_

"Commander Shultz reports the hangar deck is ready to accommodate our guests. Rattler Flight is standing by for escort duty, and Col. Rathbun has a platoon cooling their jets in the staging area."

"Very well, Commander Oswald. Have LCDR Sanders meet me on the hangar deck. Commander Renfro, please mind the store." Turning to his XO, "Hey, Steve, I hear that Senior Chief D'Amico is bringing up a cup of that Central Highland brew that you love so much."

"Oh, thank God! Where's she been keeping it stashed, and why hasn't she broken it out sooner?" CDR Renfro grimaced looking down to the brew he had been drinking. "The deck department could use this sludge to strip paint."

"She didn't want our guests to think we were trying to poison them, but I don't think she'd admit to it," said CAPT Fujimura, "Be talking to you in a bit."

Forty-five minutes later, _RONIN_'s shuttle launched escorted by two Bangatas. The two Rhinos of Rattler Flight fell into flanking positions on the Tarakan formation as it approached the _VIGILANT_.

"_Rattler Flight, maintain station 5 klicks off the stern while we get the Tarakan delegation situated. We should be able to get you guys back on board in an hour or so. Hang loose. Flight, out."_

"_Rattler Lead acknowledges. One hour until recovery. Break, break. Rattler Seven, looks like we're gonna have to wait for a bit before we can get back to the 'Farm. Take position 50 meters off my port wing."_

"_Rattler Seven acknowledges. Can't wait to get back, I forgot to grab dinner earlier and I heard that Senior Chief D'Amico is having her crew whip up waffles for mid-rats. Mmmm....waffles with spiderberry preserves."_

LT Jon Clark frowned. He was looking forward to getting a closer look at the two Tarakan escorts "fighters." He had never seen anything like them and was eager to see the two machines up close. In the mean time, he'd have to settle for staring at the _VIGLANT_'s ass end. It didn't help that Rattler Seven was reminding him that his stomach was growling too.

"_Shiiiit....._"

"_Say Again, Rattler Lead? I didn't copy your last."_

"_Nothing, I was just talking to myself. Rattler Lead, out,"_ LT Clark said absentmindedly as he watched the hangar doors glide shut behind the Tarakan ships.

CAPT Fujimura watched as Tarakan shuttle and two Bangatas settle on the landing grid before the maglocks engaged holding them firm to the deck. He decided on the way to the hangar deck to de-energize the grav plating to prevent potentially embarrassing his guests. It wouldn't do to have someone break something if they fell. The captain was lost in thought when he heard his security chief softly clear his throat behind him.

"Good morning, Sir. The main conference room is ready. LT Steinberg and her platoon are hanging loose in the troop staging area," LCDR Sanders said as he stifled a yawn.

"Pretty impressive machines, huh?" Captain Fujimura said nodding towards the Bangatas.

"Yes, sir. I'm pretty sure the throttle jockeys are going to eager to talk to those guys. Don't see any obvious weaponry besides those swords, though."

On the Tarakan shuttle, ENS Kursk and his troops were making final preparations for their boarding action. He knew they couldn't possibly take and hold such a large ship with just one company of special ops commandos. His job was to secure a foot hold on the ship to provide a secure location to bring the _TAURUS_ and _TECUMSEH_'s troops aboard.

"All right, gentlemen, you know what to do. Radcliff and Guile will provide security with the Bangatas, and we will secure this hangar deck. The _TAURUS_ and _TECUMSEH_'s shuttles are ready to launch to bring over "D" and "M" companies. You are the elite of Tarak. You will not fail! FOR THE TRUE SONS OF TARAK!!"

"FOR THE TRUE SONS OF TARAK," came the shouted response.

Captain Fujimura, LCDR Sanders, and the flight deck technicians watched as the Tarakan shuttle's ramp lowered and were mildly surprised when a company of heavily armed special ops commandos came streaming out. At the same time, the Bangatas stood and lumbered into flanking positions on either side of the hangar deck.

CAPT Fujimura arched an eyebrow and frowned, "Well, this is an unpleasant surprise."

Tarakan troops glided into a semicircle around the _VIGILANT_'s commander and operations officer while others covered the flight deck crew.

"Hands up! Don't move! Everyone freeze!" came a chorus of shouted commands from the Tarakans.

ENS Kursk was surprised at how easily the operation was going. Capt. Bunya was right; the women on the ship had sapped the fighting strength of the men present. However, the microgravity was a real pain in the ass. Fortunately, he and his men were well trained in the art of combat in zero gees.

"Captain Fujimura, I presume. I am ENS Kursk of the Tarakan Special Forces. Your ship is being commandeered in the name of the Tarakan Liberation Front. Your crew will surrender at once. If your crew resists, there will be consequences."

There was something about the CAPT. Fujimura's expression that bothered ENS Kursk. Sure he looked surprised, but there was something in his eyes. Was it...amusement?

"Uh...huh...yeah...okaaaayyy...ENS Kursk, would you like the grav plating energized to standard gravity?"

Now it was ENS Kursk's turn to be surprised. Not only were these primitives totally taken by surprise, this fool was actually making it easier for his men to take control of the ship. How odd.

"Sir, you do understand we are taking your ship, no?"

ENS Kursk watched the Captain speak into a headset that he was wearing. And then his world suddenly turned upside down. Then he found himself being drawn to deck with an overwhelming force. All around him he heard men dropping to their knees and weapons that were suddenly too heavy to hold were clattering to the deck. Bangata pilots suddenly found themselves off balance and unable to compensate for the sudden increase in gravity.

"What the hell is happening!?! What have you done to us?"

"You asked us to return the hangar deck to standard gravity. From what I'm seeing, I assume you and I have different definitions of "standard gravity."

As if things weren't bad enough, ENS Kursk's eyes goggled when he saw a quintet of large mechanical demons lumber onto the hangar deck. They had a faint resemblance to scaled down Bangatas, but were bulkier and, from the looks of the gun barrels protruding from pods slung beneath right "arms" and the massive swords dangling from their left "hips," they were probably just as well armed. For several seconds, the hangar deck was silent with the exception of the mechanical whine of servo motors, the clunk-thump of armored feet on the hangar's deck plating, and occasional grunt and curse from his soldiers. There was no way those things could be human and the thought suddenly had ENS Kursk very concerned.

"You're working for the Harvesters!"

Captain Fujimura ignored ENS Kursk's accusation, and issued an order to the officer that had been standing behind the captain.

"Commander Sanders, please secure their weapons and their craft."

ENS Kursk watched as the tall, stocky black man silently gesture to the mechanical beasts and the human troops that appeared behind them. A squad proceeded to board the shuttle and secure the pilots. How is it possible for these people to move? One of the Bangata pilots was struggling valiantly to compensate for the heavy gravity. Suddenly two of those monsters were on the Bangata. He watched in horror as one of them drew its sword, which took on a bluish glow, and proceeded to cut through the armored hatch like the proverbial knife through soft butter. He could see the terror on Radcliff's face as he was snatched from the cockpit and unceremoniously dropped on the deck with a thud. The other Bangata immediately ceased struggling when the pilot noticed another one of those things pointed its weapon directly at the cockpit.

"_Captain, two of those ships are moving into flanking positions about four klicks off to port and starboard. The RONIN is maintaining position about five clicks off the bow."_

"_Understood. Energize the phased arrays and bring Rattler Flight up to speed. I'll be up there in about three minutes. _Commander Sanders, please see to our guests._"_

"Yes, sir."

About two minutes later, Captain Fujimura stepped off the lift. He surveyed the scene on the bridge. His chest unconsciously swelled with pride with the way his crew was handling this little situation. Not a motion wasted and there wasn't any unnecessary chatter. The Captain knew he had Commander Renfro to thank for this.

He asked, "What's the situation?"

"Those ships are holding position. I think they're waiting for a signal from our guests on the hangar deck."

"Let's not give them the opportunity. Begin jamming all freqs, and direct a wide beam, short duration radar pulse at all three ships. Maximum intensity. Have Rattler Flight stand by. _CIC, energize shields and all batteries are to stand by_."

Meanwhile on the RONIN, Captain Bunya began to grow impatient.

"First Officer Franks, have you heard from ENS Kursk or any of his men?"

"No, sir. The _TAURUS_ and _TECUMSEH_ are standing by....Sir, we are beginning to detect unusual energy signatures from the VIGILANT. All communications are being jammed."

"Shit! Launch the Bangatas! Batteries relea...."

It was at the instant, the _VIGILANT_'s radar pulse hit the three Tarakan ships.

Captain Bunya suddenly found himself in the dark. Consoles and panels all around the bridge were arcing and sparking. Emegency lighting snapped on and reports began streaming in about systems all over the ship being disabled.

"What the HELL HAPPENED?!?"

Based on ancient designs used on naval ships, the phased array radar could electronically steer radar energy in a 360 degree arc. However, the _VIGILANT_'s phased array could pump out far more energy than its ancestors. At maximum intensity, the array was putting out close to two terawatts of energy. The phased array system could detect targets out to 1,500,000 kilometers, and was used for monitoring local space around the ship. Terran engineers discovered early on that the phased radar arrays had a neat capability other than detecting and tracking targets. At ranges under fifteen kilometers, the electromagnetic energy being put out by the arrays was enough to temporarily disable electrical systems. It also could disable biological matter. Had Captain Fujimura chosen to focus the beam and leave it directed at the _RONIN_, he could have very well fried every man onboard, much like turning the ship into a giant microwave oven.

The radar pulse didn't arrive in time to prevent the launch of two Bangatas. Although some of their systems were disrupted, they were far enough off the pulse's main axis to avoid the brunt of its effects. They pressed on towards the _VIGILANT_.

"_Rattler Flight, move to intercept. EMP warheads only, low yield."_

"_Roger, Flight Control, Rattler Flight moving to engage. Rattler Seven, take the trailing fighter and I'll take the lead."_

The two Rhinos of Rattler Flight quickly moved to intercept the Bangatas bearing down on the VIGILANT. Taking queues from a data-link to cruiser's radars the Rhinos slipped unnoticed behind the Bangatas. LT Clark could hear the blood pounding in his ears as he selected and launched a missile at his target. He watched it as its rocket motor guide it straight and true towards it target.

About 50 meters from its target, the missile activated its warhead. Rather than explode like one of its conventional brethren, the missile carried a pulse generator capable of creating an electromagnetic pulse much like the one created by the _VIGILANT_. The Bangata immediately went dead in space, propelled by nothing more than inertia. His wingman suddenly became aware of his plight and turned his attention on Rattler Seven. Jinking hard to the right, he managed to spoof Rattler Seven's radar lock and came back at her. Before she could react, the Bangata spun on its axis and closed the distance between the two fighters.

"Damn, this guy's maneuverable," LT Clark thought to himself, _"Rattler Seven, watch out!"_

The Tarakan fighter had drawn its sword and was taking wild swings at the Rhino. Rattler Seven was doing everything she could to avoid being struck. However, the Bangata's pilot managed to connect with one of his swings on Rattler Seven port wing cleaving it from the fighter about 2 meters from the root. LT Clark accelerated his Rhino to a position a hundred meters above and behind the Bangata.

"_Rattler Seven, break left...now!" _

Rattler Seven slammed her Rhino to the left as LT Clark touched off a short burst from the 30MM rotary cannon beneath the Rhino's nose. Ten depleted uranium slugs connected with the Bangata's sword arm separating from the Tarakan fighter in a cloud of sparks and debris. LT Clark quickly swung his fighter directly above the Bangata with his nose pointing down. He touched off another short burst into the Bangata's maneuvering pack.

Onboard the VIGILANT, the drama outside unfolded on tactical displays on the bridge and in CIC. Captain Fujimura breathed a sigh of relief when the Tarakan fighter finally went dead in space.

"Signal the Rhinos and have them RTB. What's the status of those two Tarakan fighters?"

"The two fighters are DIS, life support is down, but we're showing strong lifesigns on both of them."

"Very well. Launch the rest of Rattler squadron and have them take position around those Tarakan ships. Get Shamu's Five and Eight out there to recover those fighters with all due speed. Open a channel to the lead ship, audio only."

On the _RONIN_, crews were frantically working to get systems back online. Captain Bunya was fuming at being taken by surprise by those primitives. They'd pay for this.

"Captain Bunya, we're receiving a signal from the _VIGILANT_."

"_Warship RONIN, this is CAPT. Fujimura of the Republic cruiser VIGILANT. That wasn't very neighborly of you. We just came here to talk and render assistance if you needed it. Yet, you send an armed boarding party, try to shoot up MY SHIP, and take it over. Your systems will come back on-line within the next few minutes, and if we so much as get a stray pulse from anything resembling a fire control radar, we'll make sure your systems stay off-line permanently. I don't have time for your SHIT! Do we understand each other?!?"_

As if to emphasize his point, the _VIGILANT_'s upper gun turrets slewed to port at the _TAURUS_ while a turret on the cruiser's chin targeted the _TECUMSEH_. Armored doors all along the cruiser's spine and belly sprung open to reveal row upon row of vertical launcher tubes. Egad, that ship was a missile barge!

Captain Bunya was in for one more surprise when two Rhinos moved into position directly off the bridge portal. He found himself staring directly down the two sets of 30MM barrels. He could also see one of the pilots glaring back at him. Was she smiling?

Commander Renfro watched the entire one-sided exchange in amusement. Barely suppressing a snicker, "Captain, didn't you lay it on a little thick?"

Grinning despite the seriousness of the situation, Captain Fujimura responded, "Maybe a little. As soon as the Shamu's drag those fighters back here, load our guests on the shuttles and get them off this ship. Have COL. Rathbun put a platoon of armored suits on each of those ships to keep them out of mischief."

On the VIGILANT's hangar deck, ENS Kursk watched the damaged Dread being positioned into its space. As soon as the engines spun down, deck personnel began swarming over the machine inventorying its damage and helping the pilot out. As soon as the pilot was out of the cockpit, she took off her helmet and savagely threw it against the damaged Dread. It hit the fighter with enough force to crack in half. The pilot from the other Dread, a dark haired man, quickly walked to the female pilot and placed an arm around the taller woman. Damn, how'd they wedge her into that cockpit?

"Oh, hell, Tiny, it wasn't your fault. At least you learned an important lesson. And any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. C'mon, let's get out of here and let the grease monkeys fix what you broke? There're waffles to be eaten. We'll debrief the boss on the way to the wardroom."

Her anger subsiding, LT(jg) Samatha French laughed at Jon Clark's attempt at humor, "Mmmmm...snakeberry preserves....alright, lets go."

ENS Kursk saw the two pilots laugh and walk towards one of the hatches. After the pilots walked through hatch, he returned to contemplating his company's predicament. He was trapped on a ship of humans working with the Harvesters. At least they returned gravity to Tarakan standard. He eyed the mechanical monsters as they stood impassively around the perimeter of his company's holding area. Despite his fright, anger got the best of him.

He began shouting at the Terran crew as they went about their business, "How the hell can you call yourselves human? You're working with the Harvesters!"

One of the beasts menacingly lumbered toward ENS Kursk. His fear returned full force when he found himself standing face to...chest with the monster. Then it addressed him.

"Shut up, little man," it said mechanically.

He broke out in a cold sweat when the monster raised an armored gauntlet to its head. He gasped in surprise when the front of its head split and slid up slightly. So there was a human in there. In fact, there was a woman with short cropped blond hair inside the monster and she was grinning at him.

"You're starting to get on my nerves. Now sit down and shut up or I'll squash you like a bug," she said as she winked at him. With that, her visor slide back into place, and her power suit lumbered back into position.

Unheard by ENS Kursk or any of his men, "Damn, LT Steinberg, I think he just wet his pants."

LT Alexis Steinberg laughed into her helmet when her platoon sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Rickover, subtly pointed out the stain rapidly spreading in crotch of the young Tarakan officer's trousers.

"Stop pointing, Gunny, you're gonna make ME pee in my pants if you don't stop making me laugh."

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I had to make some changes and edit the format a little. Having a little writers block on the next chapter, but hopefully will have it done in the next coupla days.

Top of Form


	5. Let's Talk

Chapter V. Let's Talk.

Captain Bunya and his Tarakan crews weren't having a good time of it. They were once considered among the cream of the Tarakan military crop. Now they were staring down the barrels of some wicked looking rail cannons. To add injury to insult, the Terrans had placed a platoon of their marines, along with their mechanical monsters, on each of the ships in his little task force. Now they found themselves headed through the Great Magnetic Storm back to the Mejelan/Tarakan system.

The Terrans weren't having a fun time of it either...

_14 September CY450_

_It's been 2 days since the Tarakan a-holes tried to take the VIGILANT. I guess we got a lucky break. Who would have thought that we'd be the ones capturing their ships? Commander Reed and his intel and computer wonks are having a grand ole time poking around the Tarakan databases. It looks like the Tarakans had a run in with the Harvesters about six years ago. It took their combined fleets and help from other human colonies to beat back the FIVE motherships sent by Earth. Jeez, I bet there're stories to be told. In any case, there have only been sporadic reports of Harvester activity since then and they haven't been back since then. The Tarakans and the women on Mejale have also settled into some sort of truce._

_Who would have thought men and women have been living apart for almost a hundred years. I know men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but this is ridiculous! According to the reports I've been getting from Commander Reed, the women and men are starting to learn to live together again with some problems along the way. I guess you can say those guys on the RONIN, TAURUS, and TECUMSEH just won't let old habits die. _

_According to the data dump from the comms buoy at the transit point, Fleet Command will be dispatching a diplomatic mission as soon as we make contact with the system. Gee, can't wait to meet the folks in that system. _

_Oh, well, I guess it's time to get back to work._

Captain Fujimura closed his personal journal and stretched before getting up from his desk. Taking a minute to look around his smallish cabin, he ensured everything was in order. His wife would be proud. Back home, his wife was constantly getting on to him about leaving things strewn about whenever he entered a room. If she could only see him now, he thought with a faint smile. "Oh, well, let's get to it."

A few minutes later, he entered the CIC where he found some of his command staff gathered around the large plotting table.

"Good morning, Sir, Commander Reed has been bringing us up to speed on what his crew has managed to pull off the Tarakan data cores. Commander Reed, please show the Captain what you've got," said Commander Renfro.

After adjusting his glasses, the ship's intelligence officer brought up a 3-D graphic of the VIGILANT's current position on the edge of the magnetic storm. He expanded the image until the magnetic storm resembled a huge donut with several specks orbiting a larger speck in the center.

"Sir, we're currently three days into the magnetic storm. According to the Tarakan navigation records, a transit through the cloud is about 588 million kilometers and we should be emerging on the other side in about two more days if we continue at quarter speed."

Anticipating the Captain's next question CDR Reed continued, "The planets Tarak and Mejale orbit equidistantly from the system's star on opposite sides. The two planetary governments have established some sort of cohabitation experiment at a pirate base in the asteroid belt midway between the two planets. I would recommend establishing contact there since there are representatives from both governments there."

"What kinds of experiments are being conducted there?" asked the Captain, cocking an eyebrow.

"Umm...right after the Harvester War, the two governments established an experiment to reintegrate the two societies, meaning getting the men and women to learn to co-exist peacefully."

"Ok, how're things going on the Tarakan ships?"

"They're maintaining position about two kilometers astern of us. Colonel Rathbun hasn't reported any problems from his troops although LT Steinberg is complaining about the combat rations."

Two days later, the little convoy broke through the magnetic storm and reached the edge of the Tarakan defensive perimeter. Essentially, a wall of mines and automated missile platforms, the defensive perimeter had been greatly bolstered since the end of the Harvester War. And now it was standing in the _VIGILANT_'s way.

"Well, this is an unpleasant twist," remarked Captain Fujimura examining the holographic display.

"The gap in the defensive perimeter cleared by the Tarakan ships has been closed."

"Is there anyway to get us through without getting us blown to Kingdom Come or disturbing the perimeter?"

"We could always send the Tarakan ships ahead of us," mused CDR Renfro.

A short time later...

Captain Bunya sat impassively in the VIGILANT's wardroom, mindful of the two marines stationed at the compartment's hatch. After five days of being a virtual prisoner on his own ship, he was escorted to the Terran ship on one of their shuttles. He spent a few minutes studying the compartment and its contents. It certainly had the look of a warship's wardroom with its lounge areas, tables and miscellaneous bric-a-brac. The austere bulkheads were punctuated every now and again with portraits of various battle scenes and what he assumed to be landscapes from their homeworld. He had never seen so much greenery. Is that a dog dish in the corner?

As if to answer his question, he heard a little pant behind him. When he turned, he came face to face with the largest dogs he had ever seen. That thing had to be over 125 kilos! Without any conscious thought, he found himself scrambling atop the nearest table. The dog merely sauntered over and placed its front paws on the table top staring intently at the frantic Tarakan.

"He's not going to bite you, you know," said Captain Fujimura, "But, if you don't stop screaming you might upset him."

The little man had entered the compartment unnoticed by the Tarakan captain. Captain Bunya could see the two marines snickering over Fujimura's shoulder.

"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Captain Bunya.

"Roscoe here is the ship's the mascot. One of my pilots brought him aboard when he washed out of the military working dog program; something about him not having the killer instinct. Could you come off the table top and have a seat...please?"

As a reluctant Captain Bunya climbed off the table, he suspiciously eyed the other captain. "What do you want with me and what do you intend to do with my ships?"

"Well, according to your own data cores, they're not your ships, and I needed to talk to you."

Captain Bunya regarded the shorter man for a moment. "And just what makes you think that I'm willing to help you get through the barrier?"

"Captain Bunya, despite your blustering and the attempt to take over my ship, I think you're going to help me because there a bigger things to worry about than your petty prejudices against women."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the threat posed by the Earth and their Harvesters. And judging by your expression, I take it you're not buying this."

Almost spitting the words, "Captain Fujimura, the Harvesters have not been a threat since their defeat six years ago. What makes you think they're still a threat?"

"Things may have been quiet in this neck of the woods for the past several years, but the monsters are still lurking in the shadows. I have something to show you."

Before Captain Bunya could protest and bluster, Captain Fujimura picked up the remote control on the table and activated the flat panel display on the far wall. The Tarakan involuntarily gasped at the vicious battle being played out before his eyes.

"What you're seeing is footage from the YORKTOWN task force's encounter with a Harvester mothership."

Captain Bunya watched as fighters of obvious Terran design engage in a ferocious battle with Harvester cubes while capital ships slugged it out with cube gateways and other larger Harvester ships. Among the explosions and debris, he could see the Harvester mothership preparing to fire its energy cannon. Despite the fact this was gun-cam footage, he found himself screaming for the Terran ships and fighters to clear the monster's line of fire. As if hearing the Tarakan's urgent warning, the Terrans began to frantically maneuver out of the way. Most of them made it although some sustained heavy damage. He could see what he assumed to be a frigate-class vessel venting drive plasma. However, not all of the vessels were so lucky. Where there was once a 900 meter Terran destroyer, he saw an expanding cloud of ionized particles.

"That was the DARKAR; we lost 400 good men AND women on that ship, including a dear friend of mine," said Captain Fujimura seeing the Tarakan's reaction.

Before he could respond, Captain Bunya saw a familiar ship maneuvering bow on to the mothership's flank.

"What is that ship doing?" enquired the Tarakan.

"Watch," simply responded his Terran counterpart.

Before he could ask another question, Captain Bunya saw a silvery streak of light leap from the Terran ship followed by a brief flash from the ship's drive units. The camera panned from the Terran cruiser to the mothership which had mysteriously broken in two. Within seconds the remaining ships and fighters were raining missiles and rail gun slugs on the wreckage. The darkness of space was illuminated by flashes of light as hundreds of high yield EMP and plasma warheads impacted Harvester hulk. In the end, all that remained of the mothership was a large debris field punctuated by the occasional plasma explosion.

Captain Fujimura decided the Tarakan had seen enough and switched off the vid screen. A moment of awkward silence followed.

"Captain Bunya, what you have just seen happened five standard months ago about 30 light years from here. So I'd have say the Earth and its Harvester fleets are still a threat."

Reflecting for a moment on what he had just seen, Captain Bunya's response was a little shaky.

"I will tell you what you need to know about passing through the defense perimeter. I will also ensure no further resistance from my men. You have my word as a Tarakan officer and as a human," he said as he extended his hand.

Taking the Tarakan's hand, Captain Fujimura could only muster a simple, "Thank you, sir."

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Bow on – The Terran commander had the front of his ship facing the Harvester mothership's side. It fired it's main weapon, a mass cannon, which severely damaged the mothership. I'll explain more about the mass cannon later on.

Sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up. I had a monstrous case of writer's block. Hope it's not another 11 months before I get the next chapter up.


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